Known agricultural balers are provided with a rotor feeder unit that feeds crop material, e.g. supplied by a pick-up device, into a bale forming cavity in case of a so called round baler or into a feeder duct, also known as pre-compression chamber, in case of a so called rectangular baler. Another agricultural machine that includes such a rotor feeder unit is a loading wagon. The rotor feeder unit of a loading wagon feeds the crop material, e.g. supplied by a pick-up device, into a storage hopper of the loading wagon.
Known rotor feeder units for agricultural machines in general comprise a rotor feeder carrying a set of tines, said rotor feeder being rotatable about an axis of rotation; a rotor feeder unit bottom wall distant from the rotor feeder forming a lower boundary of a conveying channel through the rotor feeder unit; and scrapers placed in conveying direction behind the rotor feeder, the scrapers extending in between the tines and having a leading face cooperating with the tines. Said known rotor feeder units are further provided with a rotor feeder drive for causing the rotor feeder to rotate about its axis of rotation, wherein said rotor feeder drive is suitable for coupling to a power source.
In operation, the rotor feeder is rotated about its axis of rotation by means of the rotor feeder drive, such that the tines carried by the rotor feeder pass through the conveying channel in a conveying direction. The tines carried by the rotor feeder take supplied crop material and force the crop material through the conveying channel in the conveying direction. The scrapers remove the cut crop material from the tines and guide it further in conveying direction through the conveying channel.
Rotor feeder units of the above kind are known that are additionally provided with cutting blades protruding from the rotor feeder unit bottom wall through the conveying channel besides moving paths of the cutting blades. In such rotor feeder units, also referred to as rotor cutter units, the crop material supplied thereto is cut while being conveyed through the conveying channel. In such conveyor units, in operation, the rotor feeder is rotated about its axis of rotation by means of the rotor feeder drive, such that the tines carried by the rotor feeder pass by the cutting blades in a conveying direction. The tines carried by the rotor feeder take supplied crop material and force the crop material over the cutting blades. The cutting blades cut the crop material into smaller pieces. During and/or after the cutting process, the scrapers remove the cut crop material from the tines and guide it further in conveying direction through the conveying channel.
In general, agricultural machines are driven by a single power source, for instance the engine of a tractor that carries, pulls or pushes the agricultural machine, or in case of a self-propelled agricultural machine a main engine thereof. In such agricultural machines said single power source provides power for all driven implements of the machine. An example is an agricultural baler of the traditional rectangular type, i.e. balers which produce bales of crop material which are rectangular in side view. The driven implements of such balers of the traditional rectangular type in general include: a rotor feeder unit for feeding crop material to a feeder duct; feeder means operable in the feeder duct to accumulate charges of crop material in the feeder duct and to transfer accumulated charges of crop material into a bale chamber; and a plunger operable in the bale chamber to compress successive charges of crop material received from the feeder duct to form a bale. In such balers of the traditional rectangular type in general the rotor feeder unit, the feeder means, and the plunger are all driven by the same single power source.